Gif's inventor says ignore dictionaries and say 'Jif'
bbc.co.ukThe BBC has spoken. It is settled. Official.
XboxOne explodes across Twitter
Microsoft yesterday launched the Xbox One: a console the firm promises will provide all-in-one entertainment for users.
Accompanying the launch, the #xboxone hashtag was trending for long periods, which helped it to attract the attention of non-gamers too.
In this analysis we’ve taken a quick look at where in the US most people were discussing the launch.
California dominated, generating more than a fifth of mentions, despite only accounting for 12% of the population.
New York also exceeded its share of the US population (approximately 7%), with a 13% share of discussion.
In contrast, although Texas and Florida generated the fourth and fifth largest volume of discussion respectively, it was on a par with their share of the population.
Perhaps not surprisingly, males dominated the conversation, accounting for 86% of all mentions of the #XboxOne hashtag.
“Pizza is an obvious candidate for 3D printing because it can be printed in distinct layers, so it only requires the print head to extrude one substance at a time. Contractor’s “pizza printer” is still at the conceptual stage, and he will begin building it within two weeks. It works by first “printing” a layer of dough, which is baked at the same time it’s printed, by a heated plate at the bottom of the printer. Then it lays down a tomato base, “which is also stored in a powdered form, and then mixed with water and oil,” says Contractor. Finally, the pizza is topped with the delicious-sounding “protein layer,” which could come from any source, including animals, milk or plants.”
—The audacious plan to end hunger with 3-D printed food
GigaOm's 5 Takeaways from our New Report on Teens, Social Media and Privacy
Giga Om: Report — One in Four Online Teens Now Use Twitter
Here are the five most important trends you should know about teens and social media:
1. Teens are outpacing the grown-ups on Twitter
2. Public is the new private on Twitter
3. Teens are tired of Facebook, but they’re still using it
4. Tumblr numbers still aren’t very high
5. The subtweet goes mainstream
Check out our full report here.
The weird and wonderful world of 3D printing
bbc.comDIY printers promise endless possibilities – from boats to moon bases to bones – that test our technical limits. Some are testing moral and legal limits too.
Shouts & Murmurs: The Collected Letters of Marissa Mayer and David Karp
My darling David,
Don’t let these earthly considerations stand in the way of our relationship. Getting to know Tumblr has been the biggest joy of my life. I have never felt so young, so alive, so full of hope for the future as when I am watching your metrics rise exponentially each day.
Oh, I was looking at some of your photos online the other day. Please don’t wear your Google Glass when I introduce you to my board. I want them to approve of you.
All my love, Marissa
—Caitlin Kelly imagines an exchange between Marissa Mayer and David Karp: http://nyr.kr/19XTw6V
IBM's Watson Now A Customer Service Agent, Coming To Smartphones Soon - Forbes
forbes.com
IBM’s question-answering Watson supercomputer is building quite the résumé. First it won a much-publicized showdown against the two greatest Jeopardy! champions of all time, then it went to medical school and emerged as a budding oncologist. Now Watson has a new job–as a customer-service agent with the mostest. The help desk is a bit of a step down from fighting cancer, but IBM is nothing if not pragmatic. U.S. organizations spend $112 billion on call center labor and software, yet half of the 270 billion customer-service calls go unresolved each year, presenting a fairly sizable opening for an enhanced cognitive computer. Let’s face it: Rare is the occasion when you a) reach a live person and b) they know what they’re talking about. Why not give silicon a chance?
Starting in the next few months, IBM will be rolling out with several key customers an “Ask Watson” feature that will greet and offer help through various channels: Web chats, email, smartphone apps and SMS. Some customers will eventually equip the service with voice recognition from a partner such as Siri or Nuance. The guinea pigs include Australia’s ANZ Bank, Nielsen, Celcom, IHS, and Royal Bank of Canada.
